Are you open about being an atheist or are you in the closet?

I am semi in the closet. I do have to admit that I am not comfortable discussing my views with just anyone. I am the type that wants everyone to like me (such a fault I have!) and I am nervous someone will think I am a bad person. Even when I find someone who is passionate about science, I still try not to venture down that avenue. So lucky to have you guys!

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If somebody asks me I don't have a problem with telling them, but even though alot of my friends are religious, somehow religion never seems to come up in conversation and I don't usually bring it up myself unless they say something really blatantly ignorant or false that I just can't let go. I don't discuss being atheist a whole lot, but I'm not trying to hide it either, so anyone who doesn't already know probably suspects or assumes. There aren't many theists who subscribe to the FFRF newsletter and put FSM decals on their cars.

Completely open about it. One marginally humorous thing, though. Every evening after work, I stop at a local bar where everyone knows I'm an atheist and where everyone (me included) watches the quiz show Jeopardy. When there's a category about religion or the Bible, I generally get all the answers right, and the believers... well, not so much. One believer didn't seem to know the answer to one question was the story of the feeding of the multitudes with loaves and fishes. I finally had to describe it to him as "Jesus' All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Buffet." When asked why (as an atheist) I knew so much about this, compared to the others there, my answer was simple. "Know your enemy."

Quite a few people relate that studying the Bible is exactly what brought them to atheism.

I recommend to people the website Skeptic's Annotated Biblehttp://skepticsannotatedbible.com/It's dedicated to highlighting the absurdities, atrocities, immoralities, and contradictions -- as well as some moral "good stuff" -- in the KJV Bible text. (They also have Skeptic's Annotated Quran and Skeptic's Annotated Book of Mormon.)

One of their rotating quotes about the Bible:

It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies. -- Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth

Terry, you are my man. In fact if every religionist read the bible without his mind already made up,( praying to God to help him understand) then we'll all be atheists. Now how do you get this through to Moslem's? They are just as important and need desperately to break through.